Samsung says it has found a way to transmit data in the millimeter-wave frequencies, offering the promise of speeds several hundred times faster than those of current “4G” networks. The company says it has known for years that “5G” communication will require more frequencies, but that until now the millimeter-wave frequencies seemed out of reach because signals degrade before they reach their destination.
Samsung’s innovation is an adaptive array transceiver that it says extends the distance that wireless signals can travel at higher frequencies. The Korean company says its transceiver technology transmits data for up to 2 kilometers, at a frequency of 28 GHz NS at a speed of up to 1.056 gigabits per second.
Two kilometers is of course not far enough for actual communication in most parts of the world, and Samsung knows its solution is not ready for prime time yet. The company is targeting a launch date of 2020. It expects today’s announcement to motivate other companies to step up their own “5G” research, and says it is hoping that international cooperation will expedite commercialization.
The United States is recognized as the world leader in “4G” technology, but that was not the case with 3G, and it may not be the case with “5G” either. The European Commission and China have both committed government funding to “5G” research, and the British government has joined several private companies to commit more than $50 million to a 5G Innovation Centre at the University of Surrey.
Of course, the International Telecommunications Union may have something to say on the matter as it’s the official international agency that sets standards for the various generations of wireless technology. Current standards require the deployment of LTE-Advanced or WirelessMAN-Advanced to meet the definition of 4G, something that has yet to actually happen despite the best wishes of marketers.
Samsung spent an estimated $10.5 billion on research and development last year, roughly equal to the combined R&D spending of Apple and Google.
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